Duke University Medical drugs Center researchers have opened up a new ...The Duke researches compared the actions of two breast cancer drugs...The results of the study appear early online in the journal Proceed...The main side effect of trastuzumab is that it can damage heart mus...Both drugs are prescribed to women whose cancerous breast cells hav...

Duke University Medical drugs Center researchers have opened up a new way to screen drugs for possible heart-related side effects and to develop new drugs.

The Duke researches compared the actions of two breast cancer drugs in experiments involving human cells and rats. The drugs in question were the older drug trastuzumab, whose trade name is Herceptin, and the newer drug lapatinib, whose trade name is Tykerb.

The results of the study appear early online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

The main side effect of trastuzumab is that it can damage heart muscle cells. Heart abnormalities have been detected in 2 to 7 percent of women taking the drug, and about one in ten women cannot take the drug because preexisting heart problems put them at greater risk for heart damage. To date, there appear to be fewer cardiac effects associated with lapatinib therapy.

Both drugs are prescribed to women whose cancerous breast cells have HER2 genes that are overactive. Approximately one in four women with breast cancer have this overactive gene, which is associated with increased cancer recurrence and worse outcomes. Lapatinib was approved earlier in March for use in women who have not responded to trastuzumab therapy.

Trastuzumab revolutionized the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancers and represents an effective therapy for some women with one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, said Duke oncologist Neil Spector, M.D., first author of the paper.. However, now we have two agents that go after the same target and both have an effect against the cancer, but one appears to have a greater potential based on this preliminary work for causing cardiovascular damage.

It is important to be clear that we are reporting findings from pre-clinical experiments, so while they suggest a difference between these two agents, it would be over-interpreting the study to conclude that women t
aking trastuzumab should consider any treatment change, Spector said. However, it may be important to conduct well-controlled clinical trials to answer this question.

In addition to its association with breast cancer, HER2 is also essential for the early development and later sustenance of heart muscle cells. It appears that trastuzumabs mechanism for blocking HER2 is different.

We found that lapatinib activates a critical pathway that protects heart cells from committing suicide as a result of stress, Spector continued. Heart muscle cells require a tremendous amount of energy to function properly and are therefore extremely sensitive to energy deprivation as a consequence of reduced oxygen or nutrient supply. In addition, heart muscle cells appear to be sensitive to the death promoting effects of inflammation.

Our experiments in isolated human heart muscle cells indicate that lapatinib activates a pathway that protects cardiac muscle cells from the death-promoting effects of mediators of inflammation, which are activated in cancer patients, particularly those who have received chemotherapies that damage heart tissue, Spector said. In contrast, trastuzumab does not activate this protective pathway.

With clinical trials currently investigating the combination of lapatinib with trastuzumab, there is a possibility that the effects of lapatinib in cardiac muscle cells might protect the heart against potential toxicity associated with trastuzumab, Spector added.

More broadly, Spector said that these findings of how lapatinib bestows cardiovascular protection during times of stress whether from chemotherapy or heart muscle cells deprived of oxygen during a heart attack -- could be used in other situations.

Using this system, we could theoretically screen drugs that are in the development phase to see what their effects may be on heart muscle cells, Spector said. We may be able to select the drug candidates
that have the fewest cardiovascular side effects and theoretically would be safer for patients. This way, we could find out about some of these potential problems long before the drugs even make it to market.

Additionally, Spector said there is the potential for the development of similar drugs that can be used as protective agents in situations where the heart is stressed for periods of time, such as during heart attacks, coronary artery bypass surgery or angioplasty. Such a drug could even be used to preserve cardiac function in hearts being harvested for transplant, he said.

(Date:8/17/2017)... ... , ... Advice Media, the industry leader in digital marketing for medical practices, has been recognized ... included in the Inc. 5000 for the second time in two years. Shawn Miele, Chief ... 5000 rankings for the second year in a row. It’s extremely difficult to make this ...

(Date:8/16/2017)... ... 16, 2017 , ... Summer days spent with family are priceless. Since August ... suggestions for enjoying the season of sunshine. Add trying something new to this summer’s ... join in on the fun. , Try Something New , Choose ...

(Date:8/16/2017)... ... ... Ten outstanding teachers in the Greater Houston area will be named one ... by a Houston Texans player, two tickets to a Texans game, and other prizes. ... texanschecking.com/stars to nominate their favorite teacher with an essay of no more than 500 ...

(Date:8/16/2017)... ... , ... In a recent survey, eighty-two percent of women reported having cellulite, ... can't always be eliminated by diet and exercise alone, and now for the first ... Dr. Kenneth Rothaus has recently added Cellulaze™ to his practice in New ...

(Date:8/8/2017)... TEL AVIV, Israel, Aug. 8, 2017 BioLineRx Ltd. ... and immunology, today reports its financial results for the ... and achievements during the second quarter 2017 and to ... on multiple clinical development programs for the Company,s lead ... Phase 3 pivotal study with BL-8040 as novel stem ...

(Date:8/7/2017)... Diplomat Pharmacy, Inc. (NYSE: DPLO ) today announced ... Aug. 7, 2017. ... and will serve as president emeritus during a planned, 90-day ... multiple leadership roles since he joined Diplomat with the acquisition ... decisive, strategic leadership which continues to benefit our patients and ...

(Date:8/4/2017)... Aug. 3, 2017 Agragen, LLC, a ... in the biopharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and aquacultural feed sectors, ... its lead drug candidates, AGR131. This drug is ... from the blood of patients suffering from inflammatory ... bowel disease. ...